


Running From Lions

by bandable



Category: Produce 101 (TV), UNIQ (Band), UP10TION, VICTON (Band), X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: 02 line are junior grand prix skaters, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, Ice Skating, M/M, Other idols are mentioned - Freeform, ace’s byeongkwan and got7’s yugyeom have cameos too, hangyul is also a skater but has a mini appearance, i did very little research this is not factually correct, other members of x1 are mentioned too, yohan owns a bakery, ”i did very little research” thats a lie i did so much research
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-10-01 21:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20406862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bandable/pseuds/bandable
Summary: Kim Wooseok's name appears everywhere seemingly over night. Competition win after competition win following him as he claws his way to the Grand Prix finals. He's on top of the worldandhis game. He knows he'sgoodgreat, and the whole world does too. He doesn't let anything, or anyone, psych him out.Until Cho Seungyoun comes into the picture (again), and Wooseok finds himself sprawled on the ice thirty seconds into his free skate, pain shooting through his ankle.A broken ankle and a few months later, Wooseok's returning to the ice, and this time, he wants revenge.Or; I wrote an ice skating AU that no one asked for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! i haven't wrote anything in a long time and over the course of writing this i broke part of my laptop screen (which is probably a sign that i shouldn't have posted it, but here we are!)
> 
> please be aware that i've never figure skated before, and even though i did some research as i was writing this, i'm sure that there's plenty in here that is factually incorrect. (especially when it comes to scoring + how competitions work) 
> 
> (i danced competitively for some odd years, so a lot of what i’ll write about will probably take form from what dance comps are like, so pls dont think this is fr how ice skating works)
> 
> it doesn't help that my main source of information and inspiration for this fic was yuri on ice, which i watched quite a few years ago when i was still in high school.
> 
> all of that being said, i hope you enjoy my addition to the seungseok tag regardless!
> 
> idk how often i'll update this but i've written quite a bit of it so far. (i'm determined to finish this someone please hold me accountable for this)

“Engage your core! Your core!” Despite the music blasting through the ice rink, Wooseok can hear Seungwoo yelling corrections at him loud and clear. “Watch your arms! Do you even know what you’re doing?!”

Wooseok takes a deep breath, knowing that a jump section is coming up in his routine. As the seconds dwindle, his breathing gets heavier and anxiety fills his stomach. His hands are shaky and sweaty, despite the cold temperature of the rink. He can hear Seungwoo screaming at him, “Don’t think about the fall, goddamnit, don’t think about the fall!”

Wooseok was thinking about the fall before Seungwoo even started yelling at him, and he panics as the jump section comes up. Instead of doing his sequence, he stumbles as he tries to stop himself, and ultimately ends up in a heap on the ice, a thud resounding through the arena, as Seungwoo turns his music off.

“You have to get out of your head, Wooseok!” Seungwoo yells as he steps onto the ice, “You’re never going to make it back to the qualifying competitions if you can’t even do the jumps.”

Wooseok rolls over and pushes himself to sit up. “Sorry, why don’t you try skating again after breaking your ankle by landing a jump wrong at the Grand Prix, and being told you may never skate again. See if you can do a jump sequence on the first day back. That kinda fucks with you!” He shoots back, angry at Seungwoo and himself.

Seungwoo sighs, “You’re a mess, Seok. Maybe you should just take the season off completely, work through whatever anxiety you have over skating and Seung—“

Wooseok stands up, cutting Seungwoo off, “We’re not talking about this.”

Seungwoo rolls his eyes, “Don’t be a child.”

Wooseok scoffs, “I’m not being a child. I’m not taking the goddamn season off when I have so few left. I can do this.”

Seungwoo is silent for a moment, staring at him, analyzing him. “Are you sure?” Seungwoo asks, softer than before.

Wooseok moves his ankle—the one that was broken—in circles, checking for any signs of pain. “I’m sure.” He responds, determined. “I’m not letting anything—or anyone,” he looks at Seungwoo pointedly, “Keep me from skating.”

“No one’s stopping you but yourself,” Seungwoo rolls his eyes, “But if you’re sure, don’t second guess yourself right before trying to do a jump.”

“Wow, thanks, coach, that’s great advice. I’ll take that to heart,” Wooseok calls as Seungwoo turns to leave the ice, sarcasm dripping from every word.

He can hear Seungwoo’s laugh, and rolls his eyes, skating back toward the middle of the rink, rolling his shoulders back, and taking a few deep breaths. He could do this. He was Kim fucking Wooseok, the biggest up-and-coming skater, seemingly jumping into the scene out of nowhere and clawing his way to the top so quickly, that if you had blinked, you would have missed it.

———————————————————

Three Months Earlier

Wooseok was on top of the world as he stood on the outside of the rink, bouncing up and down slightly to keep warm before he stepped onto the ice for his free program. Seungwoo was standing off to the side, looking around, “Are you ready?” He asks him.

Wooseok rolls his head side to side, stretching his neck. He grins, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

There was slight anxiety in his gut, but he pushed it down, trying to focus on what he had to do. And that was to go out on the ice, skate like his life depended on it, and win. He couldn’t let anything or anyone distract him from the task at hand.

That was easier said than done as he felt a presence stop next to him. “Good luck,” The voice says, malice dripping from his tone, “You’re going to need it.”

Wooseok feels ice drip down his spine, and he’s sure it’s not from the freezing room. “Can I help you?” He demands, turning toward the person standing next to him, Cho Seungyoun.

Seungyoun grins that annoying ass grin at him, and Wooseok has to physically remind himself that punching his biggest competitor moments before he skated was a sure-fire way to get disqualified and lose everything he’s worked for.

“Oh, no,” Seungyoun begins, “I’m going to do just fine. I don’t know if you could say the same, though.”

Seungyoun had been Wooseok’s biggest rival since basically the beginning. They had originally begun training at the same gym, years and years ago, but were never super close. They were consistently up against each other at the small club competitions they did, always a toss-up of who was going to take first.

Until Wooseok got serious about skating and winning. He had left the recreational gym that they were training at when he was 11, finding a new gym that produced multiple Grand Prix winners, and from that moment out it was all ice skating, all the time.

He had thought he had seen the last of Seungyoun, but Seungyoun’s competitive streak hadn’t taken well to Wooseok striving to do something better than him. Seungyoun had left their recreational gym, too, but had flown to America to train with Olympic ice skating coaches.

Wooseok was not bitter. At least if Seungyoun was trying to go for the Olympics, he’d be okay. He was never really interested in the Olympics, wanting to focus on the big international ice skating competitions only. That’s what mattered most to him.

The day Wooseok found out he qualified for the Grand Prix for the first time was the same day he found out that Seungyoun had come back home, and had started to train too, and had just won enough qualifying competitions that he was also in for the Grand Prix.

Wooseok hadn’t been able to find any part of him to be excited when he was so aggravated at Seungyoun holding on to petty childhood competitiveness. They were 9 anymore, and it felt like Seungyoun was following him, trying to claim everything Wooseok had worked so hard for.

And Seungyoun was just so ignorant. He’d spout anything about how Wooseok wasn’t good, wouldn’t win, whatever, no matter how untrue it was—just to psych Wooseok out when he was on the ice.

Wooseok wasn’t going to let it happen to him this time. Not when this meant so much to him. “Okay,” He said simply, shrugging.

Seungyoun didn’t seem to like Wooseok not engaging him. “It’s just like old times, huh?” He asked, “You and me, up against each other again. Who’s going to win, who’s going to win?” He laughed.

Wooseok rolled his eyes, “When we were ten, none of that matters now.”

“Ahh,” Seungyoun whines, “Don’t tell me you didn’t work harder because I was always right there, stealing the win out from under you!”

Wooseok flinches, “I did it on my own. You had nothing to do with it.”

Seungyoun shrugged, “Sure. But this is going to be the same as all of those times, too. You thought that you’d win, hands down, but I’m here, and I’m going to steal this win out from under you, too.”

Seungwoo seemingly appeared out of nowhere, pushing Wooseok toward the ice, “Come on,”

“Break a leg, Seokie!” Seungyoun called from behind them, and Wooseok tried to ignore the racing of his mind.

This was so frustrating, he thought. Seungyoun was so infuriating, but he was also good, which made it worse. Seungyoun was capable of beating Wooseok, always had been. Wooseok had stopped doubting himself when Seungyoun was in America, thinking he was training to take Olympic gold, not to come back and try and steal Wooseok’s first Grand Prix win from him.

The news articles went from “Kim Wooseok: Rising Skater Sweeps Qualifying Competitions” to “Cho Seungyoun: Olympic Trainee To Grand Prix Contender”. He had stolen Wooseok’s spotlight just by showing up in the scene again, and Wooseok was furious.

They hadn’t run into each other during the qualifying competitions, curtesy of Seungyoun’s own ice skating coach. (“Ah, I wanted to surprise you!” Seungyoun had said obnoxiously when Wooseok had asked last week about it, “What’s the fun in you knowing before?”)

Wooseok had seen Seungyoun’s performances and he was amazing. Olympic training did wonders for him, and he was captivating when he performed—beautiful, sultry—having the entire audience in the palm of his hand the second he stepped onto the ice.

Wooseok was still holding onto baby fat in his cheeks, looking younger than he was. He was labeled as the “baby” from all the other competitors and the fans alike. His cute face bumping his popularity quickly, but not quickly enough, as Seungyoun’s popularity rose just as fast.

Wooseok shook his head, he couldn’t be thinking about this now, as he stepped onto the ice when he was given the signal. He couldn’t let Seungyoun’s mere presence cause him to make any mistakes today. Seungyoun was amazing, but so was Wooseok. He had proven time and time again that he could win. (He tried to ignore the voice that annoyingly pointed out, so has Seungyoun.) He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind as he heard his music begin.

Everything was fine—everything was great for the first half of the performance. He had hit his jump sequence perfectly, nailed his footwork, and as he reached his more difficult jump sequences in the second half, he had almost forgotten about Seungyoun completely.

Until he had thought that. He plied, pushing himself into the first jump, but the split second he had allowed himself to get distracted was a split second too long.

He had done something wrong. He couldn't remember which edge of his skate he had jumped off of--was that why he fell? He couldn’t think beyond the burning pain shooting up his leg as he hit the ice and crumpled. His music kept playing loudly through the speakers, and Wooseok tried to push himself up, tried to keep going. He had fallen before during performances. He had to get up, get back on the beat, and then he could cry about the fact he was definitely going to lose in his hotel room later.

But when he tried to stand, the pain was unbearable, and he collapsed before he even got both feet on the ice. He let out a small cry of pain, sure it was unheard over the music. The crowd was silent and then erupted in calls of worry. He looked up, seeing Seungwoo pushing through people, running to the medic tent, yelling.

The music cut off, and everything after that was a chaotic blur. He was helped off the ice, couldn't tell you by who, and into the medic tent, where he collapsed onto one of the beds, letting the pain grace his face as soon as he was out of the audience's view. "Jesus, fuck, that hurts," He says as someone gently takes his skate off his vote.

Seungwoo is there, looking at him worriedly, but hadn't said a word. Wooseok is usually good at reading the elder, usually can tell if he's angry or upset, but with everything happening, he couldn't get a read on what was going through the other's mind. Fingers gently prodded Wooseok's ankle, and his attention was solely focused on not crying. He was an adult, he's wasn't going to cr--_oh,_ that was a tear.

"Can you roll your ankle at all? Like 360?" The medic asks him, and he doesn't even attempt before shaking his head with tearful eyes.

A few seconds of painful pressing later, the medic looks up at him, then looks at Seungwoo. "It's broken, there's no doubt about it. We need to get you to a hospital for an x-ray and to set it before it starts to swell too much."

Wooseok's entire world crumbled to the ground the second his mind had processed what he had been told.

\----------------------------------------------

Like dancing, an ice skater's competitive career is not very long, and any serious injury can jeopardize the rest of someone's competitive career. A broken bone, especially an ankle, was Wooseok's worst dream come true.

The road to recovery was agonizing. Wooseok's emotions were on a constant roller coaster. There were days where he couldn't help but cry because of his situation and how badly he wanted to be on the ice. Others, he was so angry and frustrated, and the thought of reaching the point he was at again seemed impossible and quitting was looking more and more appealing. Particularly bad days would find Wooseok watching and rewatching the video of him falling and breaking his ankle over and over again, until he was seconds away from angrily throwing his laptop or phone across the room as the reality set in once again that he let something so trivial ruin everything he had worked for so hard that season.

He remembers sitting in the hospital room with Seungwoo, waiting for his doctor to return with his discharge papers, a clunky cast wrapping his ankle, calf, and foot. "Who are they saying will win, now?" Wooseok had asked, not sure if he wants to know the answer.

Seungwoo had stared at him for a moment too long, debating on if he wanted to tell him or not. He sighs, "Last I heard, they were saying that Seungyoun was going to swoop in and take the gold," He shakes his head, "I don't know how his programs went, but I wouldn't say that's too far off, either."

By some miracle, Seungyoun hadn't won gold. He was silver, with another newer skater from America, that Wooseok couldn't remember the name of, sneaking in and stealing the win. (The articles said that had Seungyoun not stumbled on the landing of his axel, that the win would have gone to him. The American skater got lucky.)

Wooseok wasn't sure whether Seungyoun would be back this season or not. Wooseok had things to prove to not only himself but the rest of the world too. Seungyoun had left his Olympic training path to come back to competitive ice skating and hadn't achieved what he set out to. Who knows whether Seungyoun would let that keep him from returning to the ice this year.

All Wooseok knew, though, was that if Seungyoun was on the ice, he was out for revenge. And if he wasn't on the ice... well, then Wooseok was going to win every goddamn competition he entered to prove to him that this wasn't going to ruin him.

Which is why he was back on the ice the second his doctor and the physical therapist had given him the go-ahead. He had lost so much time, so much practice, and if he wanted to prove himself he couldn't waste any more of it.

"Well, at the very least, you can actually _jump_ now," Seungwoo said to him as Wooseok panted on the ice. "If only you could do them without fucking up and looking terrified the second your feet leave the ice."

Wooseok glares at him, "I'm working on it."

"I'm thinking we should add another practice during the week. Your jumps are still really rough, and you're not doing as many rotations as you were before your injury. You're doing singles where you should be doing doubles and triples. Hell, you were getting close to being able to do quads on some of your jumps, and now, it's sad to watch." Seungwoo explained exasperatedly.

"What do you want from me?" Wooseok asks, throwing his hands up in the air, "I'll come for another practice, but I can't guarantee you that I'll get any better at them! It's hard to focus on my rotations when I have so much anxiety about even being in the fucking air!"

Seungwoo is silent, before letting out a heavy sigh. "You need to talk to someone, Seok."

"I'm not talking to him--"

"Not him--though I think you should--I'm talking about a professional. Your anxiety isn't going to go away, and if you're wanting to be in competition shape by next month, you have to work through it. I can only scream at you so many times,"

Wooseok falls silent. The last time he had seen a professional, was when his parents were divorcing when he was 13. He was struggling to accept that it was happening and that him (or his ice skating) wasn't the cause of it.

This didn't feel like the same magnitude of trauma, and he hadn't considered it a possibility before. "I--I mean. If you think it'll help me, and help my jumps, I'll do it. Just... don't get your hopes up."

So, Seungwoo added more practices, and Wooseok's scheduled seemed to change drastically. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings he was at the rink at 7 am to practice, and then later that afternoon, he would go and talk to someone about his anxieties. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, he'd be there from 5 to 10 am, when the rink opened, and then once again that night, from 9 pm to 12 am, after hours--Seungwoo worked his magic on the owner of the rink, allowing them to be there before and after hours as long as they cleaned up after themselves. (Though, Wooseok was starting to doubt that it was just because Seungwoo had befriended the owner. He couldn't remember the name of the owner for the life of him--something -sik, maybe?--but, when he spotted them talking as the owner was closing one night, they seemed to be quite a bit more than just acquaintances, so Wooseok filed that information away for later blackmail material.)

Two weeks later, and Wooseok wasn't sure if the therapy or the extra practices was helping him more, but he was able to get his double rotations on a handful of his jumps back. His more difficult jumps were still not looking great, (He tried an axel, and had panicked so much he didn't even make a full rotation, let alone the entire 1 1/2 he was expected to.) but his therapist had been telling him that he had to accept that he had to start from the basics again. And, so the basics he started with. (He was embarrassed to admit that one Thursday night consisted of two hours of him doing _Waltz_ jumps before Seungwoo even allowed him to try anything harder.)

He should have known that this all just meant that it was time for Seungwoo to drop another bomb on him.

"The junior figure skating championship is this weekend," Seungwoo mentioned, almost off-handedly after a Monday morning practice.

Wooseok waited, wanting him to finish, but he didn't. "Yes?" He asked, "I know that; I'm not able to compete there anymore, though, Seungwoo. Last I checked I turned 22 this year."

Seungwoo rolled his eyes dramatically, "I know how old you are, Wooseok, and I know you're not competing, Christ. We're going to watch it. Some of these kids are working toward qualifying for the Grand Prix once they're 15, and some of them are already ready to compete this season. You know how good these kids can be, and I want you to see some of them."

Wooseok huffed, as he shoved his skates into his bag. "Why? I know they're good, and I know I'll be seeing plenty of these kids over the next handful of seasons. I don't know why you want me to go watch them now when I can just seem them when they're at the Grand Prix qualifiers."

"You are so dense," Seungwoo said, "It's a test. You'll be competing against some of the best--and youngest--skaters ever, Wooseok. Will this psych you out or will this spark the passion you had for skating that you somehow lost along the way?"

Wooseok stops, "I haven't lost any passion," He says angrily. "What the fuck, a bunch of teenage kids ice skating isn't going to psych me out, Seungwoo."

"You haven't lost any passion?" Seungwoo repeats, sarcastically, "Tell me, Wooseok, are you skating this season because it's your dream, it's everything you've wanted since you were _ten_ or are you skating this season because you have some vendetta against another skater who may not even be competing?"

Anger flamed inside of Wooseok, "My reasons for skating are just that, _mine_. I don't need you to act as if I've lost all drive or want for this--clearly, I haven't. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here! I wouldn't be working this hard, I'm not the type of person to pursue so much into revenge, Seungwoo."

"That's what I thought too, Wooseok. Now, it seems like everything you do is to prove yourself to Seungyoun! Why can't you treat him like every other person you've competed against? It drives me insane!"

"You don't think it drives me insane?" Wooseok was almost yelling, "I don't understand why he gets so under my skin, but he does! It doesn't matter, he's not the reason I'm here. I'm here because I want to skate and I want to compete. No one, not even _you_ get to invalidate that for me."

Seungwoo looks like he's two seconds from shooting back just as angrily, but he doesn't. Seungwoo isn't one to blow up. He's not going to start now, over something like this, with Wooseok and his angsty pining--or whatever's going on. He takes a few deep breaths before looking at Wooseok again. "If you want to skate, you better be at the competition this weekend. I'm not choreographing anything new for you until I see that you're doing this for you and not for some boy you had a crush on when you were a kid."

He walks away before Wooseok can stop spluttering in defense.

\-------------------------------------


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this got just slightly angstier than i had originally planned for. it’s still not super angsty, but there’s a lot of stuff wooseok has to deal with
> 
> oooo
> 
> if there’s any typos let me know! i wrote half of this on my phone oops
> 
> hopefully u enjoy this and it lines up with the first chap!!

Walking into the ice rink on a competition day and not competing was an odd feeling. The sense of excitement and anxiety almost had a smell that permeated the air, but Wooseok wasn't the one feeling these emotions this time. He had last competed in the junior competitions when he was 15, as that was when he could start competing in the Grand Prix qualifiers. Last year was the first year he had scored well enough to make it all the way, but either way, it'd been seven years since he had competed in this type of competition. Despite that, Wooseok remembered them vividly.

He competed with quite a few skaters younger than him that he had seen in the past few Grand Prix qualifiers. (There was a boy about 3 years younger than him, who went by the name of Rocky at all of the competitions. He was a prodigy, that was for sure. He was good at every style, every jump, every spin... he had competed against him last season, but he had fallen after a jump and it had dropped his score; he didn't make it to the Grand Prix. Last Wooseok had heard, he was training to compete in the next Winter's Olympics. He couldn't help but be a little happy, because he wasn't sure he'd be able to beat him and Seungyoun this season coming off an injury.)

He entered the stadium seating and was able to find Seungwoo pretty easily. After their little... altercation the other day, they hadn't spoken about the competition. Their practices consisted of mainly Seungwoo yelling corrections over music and the sound of skates on ice. He had gotten frustrated with Wooseok more than once, making him run the same jumps and footwork sequences over and over again until Wooseok thought he could do them asleep. Wooseok knew that Seungwoo not talking about the competition wasn't because he had gone complacent, rather he knew the control he had over Wooseok. Wooseok wouldn't risk not having Seungwoo choreograph for the season; Wooseok had learned early on that Seungwoo's words were never empty.

He sat down next to him, and Seungwoo doesn't even glance at him, "Glad you could make it."

It takes everything in Wooseok to not push Seungwoo out of his chair. "Yeah, whatever, thanks for the invite."

Seungwoo rolls his eyes, "Are you going to sit here and sulk the entire day?"

"Maybe," Wooseok says, most definitely not pouting.

A voice announced that all of the people in Warm Up A were to take the ice. "It's odd being on this side of things," He said quietly.

Seungwoo smiles softly, "It's calmer." He added, "I don't have to be anxiously watching over you stupid ass."

Wooseok squawks, "Hey! I was totally responsible."

"Sure, you just would have run out of the competitions multiple times if I hadn't been there to stop you." Seungwoo points out, and Wooseok doesn't have anything to say in return--mouth opening and closing like a fish.

The competition starts, and Wooseok turns his attention to the ice and the competitors. He doesn't recognize many of the skaters. He hadn't been keeping up with the newer talent, a mistake on his part as he watched brilliant skater after brilliant skater takes the ice. Many of them would either be competing in the Grand Prix qualifiers this year or in the years approaching, and Wooseok should have been paying more attention to the rising stars.

The day dragged on, and Wooseok notes a few names in the back of his mind. Son Dongpyo was phenomenal. He was small--didn't even look quite old enough to compete--but used his size to his advantage. He was fast but controlled, and the moment he stepped on the ice, he had the audience in the palm of his hand. His coach seemed to capitalize on the fact that he looked so young, his song and choreography emphasizing the cute, refreshing factor. It worked for him, and his score was nothing to scoff at, either. (Seungwoo seemed to feel the same way, too, if the way he muttered--thinking Wooseok couldn't hear him--, "I want to adopt him," was anything to go off of.)

Another skater around Dongpyo's age caught his eye, Song Hyeongjun. He was adorable as well but charismatic. The footwork he had been giving was quite a high level of difficulty, but Hyeongjun had done it like it was just walking, and made it look so easy. He also was landing jumps that Wooseok was pretty sure he wasn't landing at that age. His facial expressions were off the chart, his smile never faltering once as he skated. If he had made any mistakes, Wooseok hadn't seen them and was sure that his facial expressions were enough to keep the judges from noticing either.

Both boys, when they stepped off the ice had this aura to them, this sense of extreme excitement and happiness. Wooseok was confused, as every time he stepped off the ice in the past few years, he was filled with anxiety and self-criticism on every little thing he had done wrong. Winning was the end goal and any mistake could rip that from him. There wasn't really any place to be excited or happy after a performance for him, and he needs to know how these kids were able to feel that.

"I'll be right back," He said suddenly, pushing himself to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Seungwoo asked, shocked at his sudden movement and change in attitude.

"I wanna go talk to some of the younger skaters." was all he said, but Seungwoo pushed himself to his feet too.

Wooseok looked at him confused, "I need to squish that Dongpyo kid's cheeks, he's the cutest child I've ever seen."

It seemed more work to comment and make fun of Seungwoo than it was worth--he was so shameless about it. Rather, Wooseok figured it'd be better to have Seungwoo with him. While it probably wouldn't be difficult to get into the dressing room areas or find who he was looking for (he was Kim fucking Wooseok), having a reputable ice skating coach with him was sure to get him in with even the oldest ice skating personnel--though, Wooseok thought even the older ones should know who he was by now.

Wooseok ended up following Seungwoo down the stadium seats and a few hallways until they were in the more recognizable dressing and locker room areas. Someone stopped them briefly, about to ask who they were, when they recognized Wooseok; they scurried down the hallway with a quick bow of their head.

Finding Dongpyo and Hyeongjun was much easier than Wooseok had originally thought it would have been. Hyeongjun was sitting on one of the benches in the locker room area, dabbing his forehead. Dongpyo stood in front of him, ice skates already off and in running shoes, bouncing as he talked animatedly to Hyeongjun. His hands were moving wildly, adding emphasis to whatever story he was telling the other. Hyeongjun was staring at the other brightly, fully engaged in the other's story. Of course, the two were friends, Wooseok thought. Their personalities seemed to compliment each other perfectly.

Seungwoo paused, "Are those the two you wanted to talk to?" He asks.

"Yes." 

"Okay, what are you going to say to them?" 

Wooseok opens his mouth but closes it soon after. "I didn't think that far."

It didn't look like Wooseok needed to figure it out, though. As they walked a little closer, Hyeongjun looked up, past Dongpyo's shoulder and made eye contact with Wooseok. It was almost cartoonish how wide eyes got and how far his mouth dropped open when he registered who it was. 

"What? What are you looking at?" Dongpyo had asked, whipping around.

Dongpyo's hands were still in the air, however, and Wooseok was standing maybe just a little too close to the two. When Dongpyo spun around, his hand hit Wooseok roughly in the shoulder. "Ouch," Wooseok hissed, rubbing his shoulder.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry! I get too excited sometimes and I just--" Dongpyo stopped mid-sentence, jaw falling open as he realized who was standing in front of him.

Hyeongjun stood quickly, "He didn't mean to hit you, I promise!" He says quickly.

"Yes!" Dongpyo snapped out of it, "It was an accident, please don't--"

Seungwoo cut in, "Wooseok, stop looking at them like that, you're scaring them!"

Wooseok hadn't even realized he had been staring at them so... intensely until Seungwoo had said something. "Oh!" He exclaimed, trying to make his face softer, "I'm sorry, it's fine. I'm not angry."

Dongpyo and Hyeongjun visibly relaxed, "I've very sorry, Mr. Kim." Dongpyo said quietly.

Seungwoo squawked loudly. "Mr. Kim? Oh my god, he called you Mr. Kim!"

Wooseok flushes, "You can just call me Wooseok, it's fine."

Dongpyo looks flustered as Seungwoo stares at him fondly, "You are so cute!" He exclaims reaching out and pinching Dongpyo’s cheek, Dongpyo’s ears turning bright red as Hyeongjun giggles at him.

“How are you two so happy?” Wooseok asks suddenly, as Seungwoo steps back, staring at Dongpyo fondly.

“What do you mean?” Hyeongjun asks, “We’re always happy.”

“When you skate... it’s like you’re not skating to win.” Wooseok elaborates.

Dongpyo cocks his head, ears still a little pink. “We’re not?” He phrases it as a question, “Winning is just a bonus, but we skate because it’s fun and we love it.”

“And because of you,” Hyeongjun adds quickly, “You’re, like, the greatest skater of our time.”

It was Wooseok’s turn to have his ears turn red. “Don’t inflate his ego,” Seungwoo muttered under his breath.

“I—I’m not that good, but thank you,” Wooseok says gently.

Dongpyo scoffs, “Sure,” He laughs. “Anyway, we’re so happy because we just get the opportunity to be on the ice and perform, I guess. People smile because of me, and that’s enough reason to skate—whether I win or not. And if I work hard, I make people happy and I win! Everyone’s happy that way.”

Wooseok is silent. “You don’t skate to win?”

Hyeongjun shrugs, “Of course we want to win, and work to win, but if we don’t—it’s not the end of the world! We had fun anyway.”

Another boy runs up to them, “Guys,” He pants, not even sparing a look at Wooseok or Seungwoo, “Eunsang’s about to skate.”

Dongpyo and Hyeongjun’s eyes widen, “We gotta go!” Dongpyo grabs his bag, “If was super nice to meet you, Mr. Kim!”

The two run off with the other boy—a tall, skinny blonde kid—and Wooseok is left shocked. “What was that?” He exclaims.

Seungwoo rolls his eyes, “You were always too focused on the win to be like them.” He points out, “They’re friends with each other, Wooseok, they watch and support each other and are happy for whoever wins. They don’t care about petty drama from when they were in elementary school.” 

Wooseok can’t find his emotions for a second, unsure if he should be upset, angry or offended.

“You missed out on a lot,” Seungwoo continues, “You could have had friendships like that, but you let the scores and the trophies and medals dictate what you gained from skating.”

Wooseok furrows his eyebrows, still not sure of what to say. “What do you want me to say?” He asks, eventually.

Seungwoo looks at him until Wooseok feels awkward under his gaze. Eventually, he shakes his head. “It’s not too late to learn from them, you know. Maybe actually make some friends, skate to have fun again...”

“I—“ Wooseok cuts himself off, not sure how to put what he was feeling into words.

Wooseok hadn’t skated to have fun in ages. Of course, he enjoyed skating—he doesn’t think anyone would practice so much on something that they despised—but skating was never something for fun. Not since he had started to train seriously.

He knew other skaters his age, who ended up just as good as him, still had fun skating but Wooseok could never figure out how. He never participated in the whole “friend” thing his peers did. Not when everyone was just another person he had to beat.

And that’s what Seungwoo was talking about. He should have friends, especially in a sport like this, but he doesn’t. Not like Dongpyo, Hyeongjun, and the other skaters their age. Suddenly Wooseok is a little sad.

“You gotta find it in here, again, Seok,” Seungwoo says, and taps his chest. “It’s fucking cheesy, but you’re never going to get back to where you were just because you want to win. You’re stiff and uncomfortable to watch... find the passion again.” 

Seungwoo turns on his heel and walks away, leaving Wooseok standing in the locker room alone. Just like when he was 13 at the competitions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twitter where i yell about minhee n seungyoun


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i rewrote this like 869003 times but i finally got to a point where i like this!! i wrote yohan into this chapter too, but not as a skater ooooo
> 
> thanks for reading, and i hope that you guys enjoy this cheesy and overdramatic chapter!

Wooseok is starting to get tired of people telling him that the only reason he was competing this season was out of revenge. Some news outlets had started to write articles about his return to skating, and while he had expected them to tell the story of his quick recovery to, hopefully, a Grand Prix win, instead he's seeing _Is Kim Wooseok Seeking Revenge?_ Everywhere he looks, he feels as if whenever his name is mentioned, it's quickly followed by mentioning Seungyoun's loss as well. He just wants people to be able to talk about his skating and his performances without thinking about someone else.

When he had gotten home after the competition, he had holed himself in his bedroom, and started to watch his older performances from the Junior Grand Prix competitions. He looked happier on the ice back then. His eyes were brighter and less critical. He remembers not caring so much about winning, and it made him think. What would happen if he didn't win? Would he skate again next season? Was this the end all be all?

He believes, though, that had Seungyoun never came back into the picture it wouldn't have mattered. He would have won last season, wouldn't have broken his ankle, and would be fine this season. And if he didn't win this season... he was only 22, he could skate again next season. Even if he lost to Seungyoun--but that wasn't going to happen.

Shaking his head, he stood up from his bed. He needed to get out of his apartment, needed to do something to get his mind off of Seungyoun and everyone thinking he wasn't passionate about ice skating anymore.

He didn't know where he was going to go, but anywhere was better than here. 

\-------------

Wooseok walks aimlessly for a while, waiting for something to jump out at him. A bright yellow sign across the street, declaring the "GRAND OPENING" of a little bakery shop entitled _The CinnaMan_. Well, that was the dumbest name Wooseok had ever heard, so he was for sure going to go and check it out to see the person who thought that was a good name for a bakery.

The little bell above the door dings when Wooseok opens the door, and he's instantly hit with the sweet smell of cupckaes, pie, and cookies. The scent of cinnamon is quite strong in the air, and the entire bakery front looks like it popped out of a fall edition of Food Network magazine; reds, browns, and oranges are the main color palette, with more leaves and vine designs than Wooseok could count.

"Hi! Welcome to The CinnaMan, thanks for stopping in!" The boy behind the counter calls as he walks in.

He looks to be a bit younger than Wooseok, black hair disheleved, a flour dotted apron around his waist. "Uh, hello." Wooseok says, intelligently.

The smile on the boy's face doesn't fall, and Wooseok thinks that he definitely looks like the type of person to name their bakery The CinnaMan. "Did you just open?" Wooseok asks, and then instantly feels like hitting himself for the dumb question--the grand opening sign reflecting on the glass of the display counter.

The boy just laughs, "Yeah!" They said, "I'm Yohan--I graduated from school with a culinary arts and business management degree, and so I took my parent's old store front and turned it into The CinnaMan. Are you from the area?"

Wooseok smiles, Yohan's energy contagious. "I... yeah, I am. I don't get out much, though."

He steps closer, looking at the different baked items in the display. They all look really pretty, and Wooseok is curious if he's the only one who works here. "Do you know what you'd like, or do you still need a second?"

Wooseok's eye falls on a cupcake toward the back of the display case. It looks to be just vanilla, but there's a light blue frosting on top with a little ice skate decal on top of it. He almost laughs at the irony, "Can I get that little ice skating cupcake?" He asks, a fond look on his face.

"Definitely! Would you like it on a plate or in a box to go?" Yohan asks.

Wooseok pauses, he feels like he _should_ take it home and eat it there, but he hasn't been out somewhere that isn't ice skating or doctor related in so long. "A plate would be great, thanks."

Yohan busies himself with getting it ready, and notices the way Wooseok was looking at the cupcake, "Do you skate?" He asks.

Wooseok lets out a laugh that was a little too loud, covering his mouth and flushing a little. "Yeah, I guess you could say I skate a little."

Yohan tilts his head as he rings up the cupcake, "Please don't tell me you're some fantastic skater and I just asked you if you skated." Yohan jokes, but when Wooseok doesn't laugh, he looks up quickly. "You're not, right?"

"Ha... you caught me?" 

"Don't lie!" Yohan says, "You're just trying to make me feel dumb!"

Wooseok holds his hands up in surrender, "I swear I'm not lying!"

Yohan tells him his total, and takes his card from him. "I know that there's a lot of skating competitions here, I just don't really keep up with them much." He tells him honestly. "I did see last season, though, that some skater completely lost it at the Grand Prix finals--snapped his ankle completely. Wild stuff."

Wooseok hand freezes in midair where it was headed to pick the plate up. Yohan stops when Wooseok does. "That was you?!" He exclaims.

Wooseok drops his hands. "Wow, I guess everyone knows about that huh?"

"Dude, are you skating again?" Yohan asks, not able to hide the excitement from his voice, Wooseok nods, "That's like fucking--excuse my language--Lifetime documentary stuff! Skater breaks his ankle, everyone thinks he's never skating again, but he comes back better than ever!"

Wooseok laughs bitterly, "I got everything but the "comes back better than ever" going for me." 

"Care to spill to the weird owner of a bakery?" Yohan leans on the counter.

"I... I wouldn't want to keep you from work." Wooseok says, despite really, really wanting to tell someone who wasn't in the skating world what was going on.

"Nah, man, we've been slow since the lunch rush, and I have another guy here on a break. I'll be good."

And that's how Wooseok finds himself sitting at a table with Yohan across from him, telling him everything. "And now, everyone's telling me that I've lost all the passion I once had for skating and that I'm only skating this season for petty revenge!" Wooseok tries not to stab the cupcake too agressively. 

"They're wrong, then." Yohan says matter of fact.

Wooseok looks at him surprised, "How can you say that so sure?"

"You just bought a cupcake because it had an ice skate on it, first of all." Wooseok flushes a little, and Yohan laughs, "Not to mention the way you talk about all of this. It's clearly getting on your nerves on a whole different level. I dunno, at least to an outsider it doesn't seem like you're in this to get revenge on some guy that you skated against when you were a kid."

Wooseok sighs, rubbing his face tiredly, "God, if only everyone else saw it that way."

"Hmm," Yohan pauses, "It does kinda sound like you psych yourself out on the ice a lot, though. Like... everyone's telling you that you're doing it for the wrong reasons that you're starting to convince yourself that that really is why you're doing it. You're not going to be able to do anything right if you're believing yourself that you're not passionate about it."

"Why does it seem like you're so wise about this?" Wooseok tries to laugh to lighten the mood, but Yohan just shrugs.

"I feel like it applies to most things. Not to mention, this really does sound like the plot of some cheesy teen ice skating movie." 

"Hmmm, well then, to your knowledge, what usually happens next in these teen ice skating movies?" Wooseok takes another bite of the cupcake.

Yohan dramatically touches his chin like he's thinking really hard. "A few things," he decides on, "could happen next."

"I'm listening."

"Well, first of all, there'd probably be a montage where you realize that it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks about why you're skating, it only matters what you feel inside, and your attitude towards skating changes. You can land all your jumps and turns, and it's like you never broke your ankle in the first place."

Wooseok scoffs, "I don't think that's going to happen,"

"It can happen later, too, don't worry." Yohan laughs,

He rolls his eyes, "What else could happen, then?"

Yohan pauses to think again, "Hmmm... You go back to your roots. You talk to people you skated with when you were younger but never developed a friendship with, you go to open skate nights at the ice skating rink, you befriend the friendly bakery owner down the street who you complain to since he's the only one who's not into the ice skating world."

Wooseok laughs harder at that then he had in a long time, a bright smile gracing his face. "Okay, well, check!"

"For real, though, if you ever feel the desperate need to rant about what's going on, I live vicariously through other people's drama since I can't actively be involved in it. It causes me too much stress."

Wooseok takes a deep breath as he finally calms down. "Thank you for making me laugh," He says sincerely.

Yohan grins, "No problem!"

They fall into a short but comfortable silence, "So, do you think that your skating is going to get any better?" Yohan asks, curiously.

"I don't know..." Wooseok tells him honestly, "I want it too. I want to prove everyone wrong, and show them that I still love ice skating, because I _do_. I want to win, but it's not really... really about winning anymore? It's about showing them that I don't care about revenge or drama that doesn't even exist!"

"You're already on your way to the next part of the cheesy ice skating movie then!" Yohan exclaims, hitting his hand on the table, "The main character always has to decide it's not about winning but about proving themselves before they can get better! If your life continues to follow the movie plotline, you're going to go to practice and your coach is going to be shocked by the way you skate."

Wooseok rolls his eyes, "Life isn't always like the movies."

Yohan shrugs, "I mean, not always... but you've seemed to check a lot of the boxes so far."

Glancing out the window, the sun is starting to set. It's only about 7pm, but Wooseok feels bad hanging out too much longer when Yohan probably has to close or something soon. His cupcake was almost gone anyway, and while it's been great ranting to someone, Wooseok can't expect someone else to be able to fix all his problems for him. "You're thinking too hard about it." Yohan tells him suddenly, making Wooseok jump.

"What do you mean?" He asks, shocked.

"You're feeling guilty or something about dropping all of this on someone, when you shouldn't--I asked." Yohan says, "If you keep worrying about that type of stuff, you're never going to get out of your weird funk."

Wooseok is a little annoyed that Yohan seems to be able to read him so easily. "Okay, then, since you're such an expert at what goes on for me, do you have any other guesses at what's going to happen next in my cheesy ice skating movie?"

He asks to mainly be annoying, he doesn't really expect Yohan to have another answer for him. Yohan pauses, and as the silence drags on, Wooseok feels pretty confident he's stumped him. "Ah!" He exclaims suddenly, and Wooseok jumps--when did he get so jumpy?

"What?"

"There has to be something dramatic that makes the main character face whatever caused the issue in the first place." Yohan tells him, and Wooseok furrows his eyebrows.

"Care to elaborate?" He asks, when Yohan stops talking.

"Oh, yeah. I mean like... you're going to get a call and find out something dramatic or someone you don't really want to see is going to walk through the door." Yohan explains, "Something that makes it so you can't really escape from it, and it's probably something you've been running from."

Wooseok laughs, "That sounds unpleasant. Good thing this isn't really a movie, huh?" He asks, shoving the last bite of his cupcake in his mouth.

The bell on the door dings again, and Wooseok looks up instinctively at the sound.

He wishes he hadn't, though, as he chokes on the cupcake he just put in his mouth. "Oh my god, are you okay?" Yohan asks, as Wooseok drowns the water he had on the table.

Wooseok doesn't answer out loud, but he's definitely not okay.

Standing in the door way, staring at Wooseok in just as much shock as Wooseok is feeling is no other than Cho Seungyoun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) me vs being satirical in my foreshadowing
> 
> also i meant to say this 3 chapters ago but this is named after the all time low song of the same name btw


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is shorter than i wanted it to be, but i hadn't updated in a week so i figured that this was better than nothing! 
> 
> ahhh uh i hope this lived up to your expectations from the last chapter. thanks for reading!!

Seungyoun looks just as shocked as Wooseok for a split second before his usual cocky grin graces his face again. "Yohan, you know Wooseokie?" Seungyoun asks, and Wooseok swears his eye twitches at the nickname.

Yohan smiles at Seungyoun, "Ah, we just met, actually! Do you two... know each other?" He asks tentatively seeing the look on Wooseok's face.

Wooseok takes as casual of a deep breath as he can manage, "Oh... you could say that."

Seungyoun, ever the one to ignore Wooseok's hints, drops into one of the empty chairs at the table. "Do we ever!" He exclaims obnoxiously, "We used to skate together years ago, and then Wooseok switched gyms without me. I came back and competed last season, and we were pretty neck and neck until the end,"

There was a vague, underlying bitterness to his tone, but Wooseok doesn't have time to sit on it as Yohan is finally connecting the dots. "Oh. Oh! Oh my god, Wooseok,  _ he's _ the one you--"

"Ha, would you look at the time?" Wooseok doesn't even check his phone, "I have to be somewhere in ten minutes!"

"You said you didn't have anything to do tonight, though?" Yohan asks and had they hadn't just met that afternoon, Wooseok might have thumped him on the back of the head for being so dense.

"Come on," Seungyoun says, "Don't you want to talk a little and catch up?"

Wooseok closes his eyes for a second, steadying himself. "I don't think we have anything to catch up on."

"Oh, but I disagree! After your little...  _ fall _ , you just disappeared! None of the other skaters around our age had any information on you or whether or not you were skating this season. How rude of you, Seokie." Seungyoun shakes his head, "We were all worried."

Wooseok rolls his eyes, "I'm sure you all were. Don't act so cocky, though, Seungyoun. I know you're more than ecstatic that I lost it on the ice, but even despite all of that, you couldn't win, either."

Seungyoun tries to hide the wince that falls across his face. "I'm well aware that I fumbled. I still feel confident that I would have beat you, no matter the circumstances." He says tensely. 

Yohan coughs a little to try and lighten the awkward situation. "Okay... Ha, uh, well, I didn't know Seungyoun was the skater you were talking about."

Any trace of hurt that Seungyoun had just felt went out the window as he smiles again, "You were talking about me? That's so swee--"

"Yeah, about how annoying you are." Wooseok cuts him off. "Yohan, how do you know Seungyoun?"

"Mutual friends," Yohan says, "I guess I attract ice skaters."

Wooseok can feel a headache coming on. "Are you skating this season?" Seungyoun asks out of nowhere.

Wooseok furrows his eyebrows, "Why? Are you scared that I'll be able to beat you even after an injury? Are you going to ask me to go easy on you?"

Seungyoun laughs loudly, and Wooseok wants to punch him, just a little. "Oh, of course not! I just wanted to know if I was going to get another chance to win against you. I've missed it." 

Wooseok rolls his eyes,  _ again _ . "I don't care if you beat me." He says, honestly.

Seungyoun freezes, not prepared for Wooseok to say that. "What do you mean?" 

Wooseok stands up, "Who cares if you beat me? I know I'm good, and I enjoy ice skating. I'm not doing this to beat you, or anyone, I'm doing it because  _ I  _ want to. If I win... well, that's just a bonus." He says, winking at the two, as if they were in on the fact he was quoting a bunch of junior Grand Prix skaters.

Seungyoun is rendered speechless, "I--I'm,"

"It was nice meeting you, Yohan. I'll stop by again the next time I have some free time, but I have a lot of practicing coming up." Wooseok smiles at him.

"And I guess, I'll see you at the qualifying competitions next month, Seungyoun." Wooseok pauses, "That is, if you're skating this season."

Seungyoun splutters, "Of course I'm skating this season!" He tries to compose himself. "You can't get rid of me  _ that _ easily. I'll be there, and I'm coming to  _ win _ ."

"Okay," Wooseok shrugs, "Have fun with that." He says, and waves at Yohan one last time as he leaves the bakery.

He can feel Seungyoun's glare digging knives into his back as he walks out, and feels... reguvinated. It was like he was coming off of an adrenaline rush, realizing that the best way to break Seungyoun down was to pretend he just  _ didn't care _ . Of course, he cared a lot more about winning then he let on, but if he could convince  _ Seungyoun _ he didn't, then he should be able to convince everyone that he didn't! And, if he could convince them he didn't care that much about winning, then maybe he'd be able to perform like he didn't either.

For the first time in a long time, Wooseok was  _ excited _ to go to practice the next morning. He was sure that Seungwoo was either going to be mad at him for leaving the competition or still weirdly disappointed in him as a whole, but they were almost done with his free program for the competitions, and he was ready to  _ skate _ .

Winning and Seungyoun be damned.

\--------------------

When Seungwoo arives the next morning at the ice skating rink, Wooseok had already been there for an hour. A  _ TWICE _ song blared through the speakers, and Seungwoo stands at one of the benches, shocked, as he watches Wooseok skate in large, lazy figure eights, doing the arm choreography to  _ Fancy _ .

Wooseok circles the rink, and is facing where Seungwoo is standing, and he startles so badly, he loses his footing and falls on the ice with a dull,  _ thud _ . He quickly pushes himself up, and skates over to where he had placed the remote to the radio and pauses the music. In the meantime, Seungwoo had rushed over to meet him at the wall, "Are you okay? What are you even  _ doing _ here already?" He asks, exasperated.

"I couldn't sleep well last night, I couldn't stop thinking about getting on the ice again. I came in early so I could do some skating," Wooseok says, as if that explains everything.

"You--what--why?" Seungwoo asks, confusion etched deeply on his face.

"Do I need a reason?" Wooseok asks, not wanting to tell Seungwoo about his little run in with Seungyoun.

"You haven't showed up early to just skate since you were  _ sixteen _ , Wooseok. Yes, you need a reason." 

Wooseok shrugs, "I guess everything at the competition on Saturday made me realize some things. I wanted to find the passion again, and if that meant coming in early to skate to  _ TWICE _ , than that's what I was going to do."

Seungwoo looks like he wants to push Wooseok to spill what had  _ actually _ happened, but Wooseok was here--early, no less--to skate. He didn't want to risk whatever Wooseok had built back up by pushing him too far.

Still, he squints at Wooseok. "Okay... then let's run your free program, I guess. If you can, try and make all your jumps doubles, at least."

Wooseok nods firmly, and heads to the center of the rink. Seungwoo presses play on his song, and Wooseok urges any thoughts of what was going on around him out of his head and focused on the cold air and the feeling of the ice underneath his skates.

The routine goes almost flawlessly, he was able to land a double toe loop no problem, and the footwork in the first half came like second nature to him. Entering the little bit in the second half that they had choreographed, Wooseok took a deep breath as the jump sequence came up.

It was watered down. None of his jumps were triples or even the quads he was almost able to do. They were doubles, and the easier jumps. Instead of ending the sequence in an axel like he has for the past few years, it ends in a Lutz, instead. The difficulty level just isn't the same.

He's able to get through most of the jump sequence landing doubles of all of the jumps, no problem. He hadn't been able to do that since he had started, and feeling confident in himself, he makes an impulsive decision. He knows he shouldn't have, knows that impulse decisions when you're skating on  _ ice _ , isn't exactly a grand idea, but he couldn't help it.

Instead of pushing himself backwards like every other jump requires, he skates head on. He can tell the moment Seungwoo realizes what he's going to attempt as there's a shrill, "Wooseok!" that fills the arena as Wooseok pushes off.

It's not a perfect axel, nowhere even close. He makes the one and a half rotations required, and stumbles when landing, but places his hand on the ice to stablize himself before he completely falls. He pushes himself back into a standing position, and goes to continue his routine, but the music stops, and the arena falls silent as Wooseok confusedly lets himself come to a stop near the wall.

Seungwoo looks simultaneously terrified and impressed, resting most of his weight on a hand on the wall, breathing a little heavily. "Wooseok," He breathes, "What the  _ fuck _ ."

Wooseok winces, "I know, it's not what you choreographed and I almost fell, but I just... I can't go back out there  _ not  _ doing just as difficult choreography as I was doing before the injury. I just can't. It's not--"

"You think I care that you changed the jump sequence?" Seungwoo asks, shocked, "While I think that's a stupid as fuck thing to do on the ice, I just can't believe you actually  _ did _ an axel jump, what the fuck!"

Seungwoo isn't one for swearing so much, Wooseok can tell that he probably gave him a little heart attack by attempting what had caused his injury in the first place without telling him. "It was only a single, I could do a triple before I broke my ankle."

Seungwoo stares at him, almost angrily. "Wooseok, you couldn't even land half of your jumps two weeks ago. It doesn't matter how many rotations your axel jump was, the fact that you were even able to do one and land it without psyching yourself out is something you should be excited about!"

Wooseok feels relief course through his veins. He wasn't as good as he was, he had so much to improve on, but Seungwoo was right. He was finally able to get out of his head enough to  _ start.  _ "Does that mean we can put the axel back into my jump sequence?"

Seungwoo laughs loudly. "If you can get to a point where you can land it without having to put your hand down, I'll put it back in." 

Wooseok grins, "I'll do you one better--by the time competitions start next month, I'll be able to do a double axel again."

"Oh," Seungwoo says in an almost sing-songy voice. "We're getting ambitious here, are you sure you can do it?"

Wooseok rolls his eyes, "I'm not one to make promises I can't keep!"

Seungwoo shakes his head, amused, "Whatever happened this weekend... you should thank your ass it did. Any longer of you looking like you had a stick up your ass on the ice, and I may have started losing hope."

Wooseok pushes his shoulder. "Shut up, can you finish choreographing my program now?"

"Hey!" Seungwoo exclaims loudly, "Respect your elders!"

"Sorry, I forget you're old."

"I will make you run two miles after practice if you don't shut your mouth." Seungwoo says pointing the radio remote at him threateningly.

"Sorry, sorry!" Wooseok says quickly, "Come on, put your damn skates on and teach me some choreography."

Seungwoo rolls his eyes, but does as Wooseok asks. Wooseok grins, he hasn't felt this way in a long time. It feels... it feels good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> should i or should i not time skip to a competition in the next chapter? that is the question, whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles--
> 
> that was the dumbest thing i've ever written i'm so sorry


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're going to pretend this didn't take me almost an entire month to write bc honestly i'm still not happy with it and the fact it took me a month to write this... sad.
> 
> but, i hope you enjoy it anyway! thank u very much for all the sweet comments on the past chapter and for waiting so patiently for this. it's not as good as i wanted it, and it's definitely not as long as it should be with a month break but... it's here and that's an accomplishment.

The next month passed in a blur. Every day was a consistent routine of Wooseok waking up, practicing for hours, eating, and sleeping. Wooseok hadn't seen Seungyoun since the awkward run-in at the bakery; however, he had made many drop-ins to talk to Yohan and keep him up to date on his skating. He still wasn't sure if Seungyoun was skating this season. He had almost completely disconnected himself from social media and news outlets, realizing that they didn't do much for him except keep him anxious and angry at his situation.

Wooseok and Seungwoo had made immense progress in getting Wooseok back to where he was before his injury. Many of his jumps were as solid as they were before, and Wooseok felt confident that if he was able to perform like he was in practice, his scores would be close to what they were. (If he could break 280 for this first competition, he'd take it as a win.) Seungwoo had added the double axel back into the second half of his program, and Wooseok had been able to land it every time he had practiced it. While normally he did three quad jumps in his routines, Seungwoo didn't want to push him, so they dropped it down to two and hoped his multiple triples would make up for it.

It seemed like all he had done was blink, and he was waiting in line to board the plane for the first qualifying competition, Skate America. Seungwoo was grumbling next to him, "I can't believe they're hosting Skate America in New York again," He complains, "It's cold! Can't they host it somewhere warm for once?" 

"We're going to be in an ice skating rink, it's going to be cold no matter where they host it." Wooseok points out.

Seungwoo glares, "Yes, but if it was somewhere warm I could go outside without twelve layers on, Wooseok."

"You're not going to be going outside much, anyway, so why does it matter?"

" _ You're not going to be going outside much-- _ I'd like to kindly remind you that not all of us stay in our hotel rooms in between rounds and performances. Some of us go out and sightsee and talk to each other, remember?" 

Wooseok flinches, not particularly liking the reminder that he had put himself in a situation where everyone around him was close friends, and he was the odd one out. "Yeah... I forgot I guess." He mutters, putting his airpods back into his ears.

Seungwoo takes a deep breath, trying not to get irritated at the younger boy. It wasn't worth it right now, and they had made such progress Seungwoo didn't want to jeopardize all of it by saying something that would set him off. He could further antagonize him after he (hopefully) won Skate America.

\---------

They arrived at their hotel at around 6:30 pm, and Wooseok would have loved nothing more than to drop his suitcase on the floor and flopped on the bed to sleep for 12 hours. It seemed, however, that Seungwoo had different plans.

When they entered the hotel, instantly people came up to them to greet them--or more specifically to greet Seungwoo. It took them way too long to get to the front desk in the lobby and get their room keys; once they had, Wooseok felt like he had just gotten off of a battlefield. 

"Meet me back here in ten," Seungwoo says, handing Wooseok his room key.

"What?!" He exclaims, "No! Why?"

Seungwoo sighs dramatically, " _ Because _ it's not even seven, you haven't eaten anything, and we're trying to make you more social! Remember?"

Wooseok knows it's not worth fighting. Seungwoo would just end up physically  _ dragging _ him out of the hotel room and wherever he wanted to go that night. (Wooseok may be a figure skater and thus strong in some ways, but Seungwoo was stronger than him in every way.) "I don't remember ever agreeing to try and be more social," Wooseok would deny it if anyone asked, but there was a more than clear whine in his voice.

"A bunch of the other skaters competing invited us to dinner. I didn't tell you before because I knew you'd fake being sick or something to try and get out of it." Seungwoo tells him, "So, go change your clothes and meet me back down here or I will drag you out of bed, and you know I will."

Wooseok mumbles mockingly as Seungwoo walks down the hallway to his room. 

\----

That's how he found himself sitting at a table in some American restaurant, having to try and talk to skaters he had competed with before but had never talked to. On his left, at a table placed just a bit too close to theirs, was a handful of skaters from America and England talking way too quickly in English for him to be able to capture more than a few words here and there. On his right, at his table, was a group of skaters Wooseok recognized from photos and trending hashtags on Twitter.

The group consisted of a handful of the other skaters who had been competing during the same seasons and period as Wooseok had. Wooseok knew them all technically but didn't really  _ know _ them. The group was often seen during the offseason together, getting meals and hanging out whenever they ended up being in the same place together for more than a few hours. While Wooseok had been invited to these outings more than once, he had clearly never agreed to go, if the reactions from the group when he sits down is any indication. 

"Wooseok!" Hangyul had exclaimed excitedly, "I didn't think you were going to come."

It makes him feel a little guilty, knowing that they were still so excited for him to join them, despite him never officially rejecting any offers. He rather just never responded to invites or coincidentally forgot about things like these meals before competitions. Despite that, it didn't seem like any of the others felt any resentment or hatred toward him for his rude behavior. Somehow, that was worse.

Seungwoo sits in the seat across from him, "I didn't tell him until the last minute, so he couldn't suddenly get motion sickness on the plane."

Wooseok throws a straw wrapper at him, hissing. "Shut up, I would not have done that!" 

"You don't need to lie, you're not fooling anyone," Seungwoo tells him, smiling that stupid grin at him.

Seungwoo always was the type to help Wooseok dig his grave deeper. If the others suddenly realized Wooseok was a bit of an asshole who faked being sick to get out of things, he guesses the only one he could blame would be himself. (And Seungwoo, of course. He could always blame Seungwoo.)

Hangyul laughs loudly, "Well, we're glad the mysterious Kim Wooseok finally showed up to something! It only took us like, what? Three years of inviting you?"

Wooseok tries not to wince visibly. He isn't sure what he can say to make the situation better--if anything. Instead, he just smiles a little awkwardly and shrugs. It seems to be good enough for the others.

"I'm surprised you're back on the ice so soon, too." Byeongkwan chimes in.

Wooseok bites his lip debating on how much information to disclose. "I couldn't stay away, I guess. I was going crazy being stuck in bed during the months of strict no-skating."

"I can only imagine," Yugyeom says. "I'm not sure if I would have been able to stay away, either." 

"He may have been back on the ice as soon as he could've," Seungwoo tells them, "But it took him almost a month before he was able to skate even  _ close _ to what he was before the injury. It messed him up."

"Don't say it like that!" Wooseok pouts, "You make it sound so dramatic."

"You  _ were _ dramatic. He couldn't get out of his head for shit, I thought I was going to have to force him to take the season off." 

"Damn," Hangyul whistles, "That bad?"

"Any other personal information you want to spill to the table?" Wooseok demands. 

Seungwoo just laughs loudly, and Wooseok wants to punch him. Just a little bit. (He doesn't think punching his coach in front of a bunch of other skaters would make a good headline, though, so he doesn't.) "Nothing's personal here," Yugyeom points out.

"Some things  _ should _ be," Byeongkwan responds, glaring at Yugyeom.

"Wh--"

"Don't ask," Hangyul cuts Wooseok off, and Wooseok decides if it's  _ that _ bad he doesn't even want to know. "You do  _ not _ want to get them started."

He just nods, and turns toward his water, spinning the ice in the glass with his straw mindlessly. The group continues to talk about random things as they wait for food to arrive, trying now and then to drag Wooseok back into the conversation. He doesn't make it easy, only offering a few words and laughs as the night progresses. When the food arrives, the talking quietens as they focus on eating. God, Wooseok forgot how much he liked American food sometimes.

"Is Seungyoun skating this season?" Byeongkwan asks out of the blue.

Wooseok tenses and almost chokes on his burger and hopes no one notices. 

Luck wasn't on his side tonight it seems, "Still a sore topic?" Hangyul asks, laughing.

Wooseok forces himself to relax, "No, definitely not. I'm over it!"

Everyone looks at him suspiciously. "I  _ am _ !" He defends.

He swore he heard Seungwoo mutter something under his breath, but couldn't say for sure. He kicks him under the table anyway. (Seungwoo kicks him back harder, and Wooseok regrets it.)

"It's fine, I don't blame you for still feeling weird about the whole thing!" Hangyul pats his shoulder just a little awkwardly.

"Yeah..." Wooseok trails off, not particularly wanting to talk about this.

"Well  _ yeah _ ." Byeongkwan adds, "I mean, having your former competitor from, like, elementary school come back the first time you make it to the Grand Prix is  _ one _ thing--"

"But having him run onto the ice to help you after you break your ankle and then fumble his routine twenty minutes later?" Yugyeom shakes his head, shoving a fry in his mouth, "I definitely would feel weird about it too. I wouldn't want him to skate this season either!"

Wooseok freezes at Yugyeom's words. "What?" He asks, and no one seems to hear the shake behind his voice except Seungwoo.

"Huh, would you look at the time? We should pro--" Seungwoo tries to change the topic, but fails.

Hangyul cuts him off, "I agree with Yugyeom. It'd be hard to want revenge or anything knowing that your so-called enemy or whatever saved you and possibly jeopardized their routine. Seungyoun not skating would be the best, I don't know if I would be able to not let him win in consolidation!"

Seungwoo tries to defuse the situation, but it's too late. "Wait, wait, wait, backtrack a little here." Wooseok says a bit too loudly, just a little too frantically, "Seungyoun was the one who helped me off the ice?!"

The group looks at him, confused, "Yeah?" Byeongkwan looks a little worried, and glances at Seungwoo.

"Oh shit, guys," Yugyeom whispers, "I don't think we were supposed to say anything."

" _ Seungyoun _ helped me off the ice? And then fumbled his routine?" Wooseok asks again, like a broken record.

"Wooseok? You good, buddy?" Seungwoo asks carefully.

Wooseok doesn't anything, and the pause trails from awkward to uncomfortable too quickly. "Wooseok?" Byeongkwan asks gently.

Wooseok stares at his plate, feeling very, very nauseous all of the sudden. "I think I'm going to throw up."

Seungwoo takes in a hissing breath, and Wooseok knows instantly that he is  _ not _ going to like what happens next. He feels a presence behind him and is about to flip the table at whatever God keeps putting him in this goddamn situation.

"Room for one more?" Seungyoun asks, and Wooseok can  _ hear _ the shit-eating grin on his face as everyone turns to look at him in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls follow me on twitter i need more moots to scream about x1 with [click here](https://twitter.com/clnnaminhee)

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/SANSHlNEY)! all i do is yell about x1 + how much i love minhee


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